And just like desperate parents scrambling to find toys on Christmas Eve, area patients have had to shop around to find the antiviral drug.

The medication can't cure the flu, but it does shorten the duration and lessen symptoms for many patients.

A nationwide Tamiflu shortage is expected to last through February, said Dr. Brooke Rossheim, director of the Rappahannock Area Health District in Virginia.

The problem stems from an early, larger-than-usual demand for the drug. Because this year's flu vaccine isn't as effective against the strain that's showing up, more people who've been inoculated are coming down with the flu.

Local pharmacists said the rush for Tamiflu started early last week. That's when the Virginia Department of Health declared that flu outbreaks were happening frequently in the state. A larger number of outbreaks than usual has also been reported in Pennsylvania.

"I've been around forever and I've never seen it this bad," said Kevin Tolley, pharmacist and owner of the Pharmacy of Culpeper, Va. "A lot of people are sick with the flu."

In one hour on Tuesday afternoon, that independent pharmacy filled about 20 prescriptions for Tamiflu. Tolley said that many new patients were flocking to his pharmacy, saying they couldn't get the medicine at larger, chain pharmacies.

"It's an unfortunate thing to happen around Christmastime," said Linh Nguyen, owner of Cowan Pharmacy in Fredericksburg, Va. "Every third prescription here has been Tamiflu. There's been a big surge."

The biggest shortage has come in the liquid form of Tamiflu, which is given to young children and anyone else who can't swallow pills. So, independent pharmacies that offer compounding services are seeing an even higher demand, because pharmacists there can create a liquid form from the Tamiflu capsules, Nguyen said.

And the demand for Tamiflu shouldn't decrease anytime soon.

"It's just the beginning of flu season," Nguyen said.

She recommends avoiding the illness with frequent hand-washing and plenty of vitamin C and zinc.